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Twitter is a funny world. I guess I should say, “world”. Complete strangers (mostly) share their lives, workouts, interests, secrets, fears, and triumphs on the Internet in 140 characters or less.

13,699 tweets? What the hell do I have to say that’s so important?

You can link your Facebook, blog, FourSquare, Vine, Run Keeper, Nike+ running, Daily Mile, MapMyRun, My Fitness Pal, and oodles of other apps to your Twitter feed. People can track your every move if you let them.

I actually like Twitter. The people I follow aren’t serial users or obsessive (at least, I don’t think they are) and I genuinely enjoy their quips and updates. As we approach Boston Marathon weekend, I’m seeing a trend in runners that I’ve noticed before, but not quite as much as right now.

Running when one clearly hates running right now.

What happens when it becomes YOUR punishment, too?

More than one runner who is headed to Boston this week has confessed that their head and heart just aren’t in it. They’re all seasoned-ish runners who have surely defined themselves as RUNNERS, but they clearly no longer enjoy running.

What do you do when you just don’t feel like running anymore?

I would say this person is experiencing complete and total burnout.

Top 5 signs of burnout:

Running feels like a chore

Every run feels hard & there’s rarely a “runner’s high”

You come up with any excuse to drop out of races/workouts

Races give you anxiety (more than usual, that is)

Your heart isn’t in it anymore…and you know it

…at least, it should be.(Image courtesy of Runner’s World & your inner child)

I want to say this to all the runners out there:

IT’S OK TO TAKE A STEP BACK FROM RUNNING.

Did you hear me? IT’S OK. It doesn’t take anything away from you or change anything you’ve done. If you aren’t feeling it, don’t force it. Forcing it will only make you resent it more.

Take a step back. Do something else. Try something new.

Don’t be afraid you might like something else better.

You are not defined by only being a “runner”. You are so much more and can be anything you want to be, just don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid to walk away from it until you miss it. Don’t be afraid that you might find something you like better.

You can always come back to it.

If you don’t love it, don’t do it. Life is too short to waste your time and energy doing something you hate.

Just a thought.

Now go out and run (or not).

PS. Pictures from the Kick Ass 5K must be received by me via email (runstrongereveryday@gmail.com) by midnight tonight to count toward the raffle. Get ‘em in–I am loving all the ones I have so far!

There have been times in my life when it’s been difficult for me to make friends.

Camp, when I was a couselor.

College, when I was an RA.

School in general.

I can’t imagine other camp counselors thinking I’m uncool based on this picture alone.

I always ended up making the best friends in the end, but it was not an easy road and it was often lonely.

Moving to a new city or graduating from school can really mess with your running buddy lineup. I know it did mine!

First marathon trained & run allllll by myseeee-eeeelf.

I tried a few running groups but ran into the same problems as before:

Everyone else already had friends in the group.

No one wants to hang with the overly chatty new girl.

I do not come off as “cool”, even on my best days.

I know I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, but I had to be someone’s.

FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!

Enter Twitter and the blogging world.

New friends? Check! New running buddies? Check! New studios to get my sweat on? Check!

Some of my newest and most exciting goals are coming straight from my Twitter friends.

200+ miles in 24 hours with 12 teammates in 2 vans? I’m in!

And the Twittersphere and Blogosphere have given me the opportunity to not only meet fellow runners and sweat-a-holics like myself, but it has introduced me to some of my favorite fitness gurus ever whom I love (and miss–WHY DOES EVERYONE LEAVE ME?!?!) dearly.

Ambassador Buddies forever!

Steven, DON’T GO!!!!!!! I mean, I guess it’s a great opportunity and all but we will miss you!

Plus, they tweet-cheer you on when you hit up their class or kick butt on a run!

So, if you’ve just moved or want to get into a fitness community or need a running buddy, take to the Internet! Hit up Twitter and make new friends. You’ll be surprised by how warm and welcoming everyone is. And, hey, you might meet your BrFF: Best running Friend Forever. I’m off to run with a new friend right now.

And a happy Tuesday to you! I’ve been bursting with Better Than the Alternative Tuesday-ness since I woke up from surgery a month ago. My gratefulness has been in abundance and is busting out of my seams!

My husband who grounds me. My Mom who supported and stuck up for me in the hospital. My Dad who doesn’t seem to tire of hearing my recovery updates. My friends and family who called, emailed, texted, sent cards and flowers and gifts. My body that bounced back better than I ever thought. My nurses who made the weirdness ok.

Most beautiful flowers EVER from JB.

But that’s me. What about you?

Even if you’ve never had surgery or had to start over, life isn’t always so easy, is it? As we grow up and away from our families and longtime friends, supportive people can be in short supply. You may not always have time to gab with your best friend for two hours during a panic-stricken mommy moment. You may not always get a hold of your brother when you reeeeeally need some bro time. So, what do you do?

Get involved in Social Media.

Twitter. Facebook. Instagram. Pinterest.

I reluctantly jumped on Twitter when I started this blog to get to know other fitness/running bloggers. What I found was a community of runners, fitness fanatics, fashion lovers, lululemon ambassadors, everyone under the sun involved in the wellness community, IBD friends, classmates, instructors I love, studios I frequent, places I like to eat in the city, city alerts, news update outlets, and on and on and on.

Social Media allowed me to connect with people just like me–only faster, smarter and A LOT funnier. It’s a place lift up and be lifted up by friends who have been there, done that. I met every single person I know who has IBD through Twitter. Not kidding. And every single person I know in publishing.

How did I meet Samantha from Fitness Magazine? Oh yeah, Twitter!

Social Media gave me a place to ask what others would consider to be disgusting, inappropriate bathroom-talk questions.

Social Media offered me a chance to connect with other lululemon ambassadors and kick around ideas.

Social Media allows me to keep in touch with my 40 cousins and dozens of other family members.

Social Media makes it possible for me to be supportive from 2000 miles away.

Social Media bridges makes me feel less alone in this big city.

So many new friends through Social Media & crazy BRick workouts!

If you’re feeling blue, there’s a whole world of Social Media friends to meet. Think that you’re the only one dealing with the troubles you find yourself muddling through day by day? Try finding a community on Facebook or Twitter. They’re out there, I promise.

So quit hiding in your corner, complaining that nobooooody knows the troubles you feel and get out there and meet people via Social Media! Start a support group. Find a community of your own. Meet people who get you.

That’s what I did. And those people (YOU!) make today so much better to be here than there.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner in my first every giveaway! First, let me thank all of you who nominated your friends, Moms, sisters and workout inspirations for the giveaway. I loved reading how these women bring sparkle to your life and inspire you to keep on keepin’ on.

Sarah nominated her friend, Lindsay. Read her nomination below:

Sarah, please email me at runstrongereveryday@gmail.com so we can coordinate the shipping of the sparkle! Again, thank you everyone for sharing and entering your friends. Did you have fun? Did you like nominating others or would you prefer to win yourself? We’ll have to do it again soon.

Onto this week’s Fitness News!

Is this the Hospital Room of the Future? Not sure if I want my baby in a bubble.

And finally, Facebook (& Twitter, I imagine) are like being in middle school. I totally agree. For your own sanity, pare down those “friends” people. That is, unless you are a narcissist who needs to have 900 friends to feel better about yourself, in which case I recommend you maybe seek some professional help.

On that note, be nice to yourself and have an AWESOME weekend! Any runs planned? Snow in the forecast? Valentine’s Day stuff? What’s news in YOUR world?

You know what the up-side to having a sexy auto-immune disease like ulcerative colitis is? Nothing. Not a one. Every single time I’m getting a handle on things, my trigger pulls and I flare up, get sick and am sidelined from my everyday life. Boo. Today I have a little sniffle and cough, which isn’t surprising since I’ve been flaring for almost two weeks now. (Can make “flare-ing” a verb? I think I just did. Not flaming, FLARING) Flare-ups = downed immune system = cold/flu AND flare-up symptoms. Yay, me!

Good thing it’s a long weekend and I don’t have to miss school. You heard me. My, my how things change when you’re a big grown-up paying for your own school at NYU. Missing class is baaaaaaad.

Anyway, I think the extent of my exercise today will be walking up to the NEW lululemon athletica store on Madison Ave & 85th Street to celebrate their opening day. You should stop by, too, if you’re in the city. Say hi! So, no running today. Hopefully, taking it easy will translate into me feeling so much better than tomorrow I can do my long run. Or, at least I can do it on Monday and be better by next week. Fingers crossed.

In the mean time and in-between time, here’s what you should be checking out this week:

-Paula Radcliffe’s record-setting time for women’s marathon distance was was stripped of the title “World Record” because the pacer for that race was a man. Are you as outraged as I am? If she’s the world’s fastest woman, who else is supposed to pace her???

-The Chicago Marathon is this weekend. Are you running? Here’s a spectator’s guide to cheering. Should be an awesome day for a run. Go runners!

-These coconut granola bars sound amazing. Not that I can eat them because they have oats and nuts and, you know, that doesn’t exactly go with my flare-up. So you make them and report back to me, ok?

-Speaking of my flare-up, did you see the Nobel Prize in Medicine was announced this week for some very smart scientist who did a lot of research about our immune systems? I’m just excited because, after two years of pre-med schooling, I know what he’s talking about!

-Last, but certainly not least, take a minute (really, it’s that fast and you don’t have to put in your email or anything) and vote for my fellow fabulous fitness blogger friends, Ali & Jess in Shape Magazine’s Best Blogger Awards. They’re awesome and you should check out their blogs AFTER you vote for them (don’t worry, they’re nominated in separate categories)

Ok, folks, I’m out. Oh yeah, I’ve also decided that I won’t be blogging on the weekends. A long time ago, when I was finally able to support myself as a trainer, I made the decision not to work on the weekends. It’s been probably 7 years since then and I realized that blogging counts as work for me. I love it, but it definitely takes away from spending time with the people I don’t get to see during the week, namely my gorgeous husband. So, I hope there are no hard feelings, but I will be a Monday-Friday blogger from here on out. Are we still friends? I hope so.

Now go out and run.

And don’t catch my cold.

What are you reading about this week in the news? I mean, besides Steve Jobs.

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Hi, I'm Abby! I'm a runner, coach, personal trainer, Lululemon Athletica Ambassador Alumni, and physical therapy student living and loving life in NYC. I love to run, eat and play with my husband and my very large family. What are you waiting for? Join me on my fitness journey--lace up those running shoes and change your life!

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